Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-08
THREE TIMES AND OUT"

WIN o"NH growing pTeIenSlOnS 10 1aShIOI
Is Cyclamen avenue, which had recently
been redeemed from the waste places 0
the earth and made to blossom as the rose
with pretty lawn-girdled, vine-drapec
villas. The inmates of these stylish resi-
dences were wont to denominate the littl,
house shanty, and its owner, a graspine
old witch, who was waiting till the exas
perated neighbOrs would pay her six time
the worth Of her property. Aristocrati,
souls revolted at their close proximity tc
creature so lost to all sense of propriety
as to grow cabbages in her door-yard, and
to adorn the flower beds thereof with clam
shells. l myself was one of Mrs. Mulyany's
most clamorous detractors, until read the
chapter which her life made in
Tho short and simple annals of the poor"
lived at some distance from the obiec
tionable little cottage, but frequently had
occasion to pass II, and | never did SC
without casting a covetous glance at the
mingled giories of the mille-feurs and
mlgnonette, sweet alyssum, myosotis and
pansies, which lanked the obnoxious cab
bages. One lovely June morning as |
walked by with lingering step and glance
heard myself called
Miss Miss!"
Now, as | am matron of several years
standing, it is needless to say | was fiat
tered by this appellation, and, pausing, !
turned beaming face upon the speaker
As might be expected in the proprietor OF
such a tumble-down little house, she was
dilapidated little woman, very lame,
and with the scar of a frightful burn
disiiguring her cheek and neck One eye
was swollen-nearly shut; but this, it was
easy to perceive, was a mere temporary
blemish. She wore no-colored calico
dress, and her hair, once golden, but
now faded and gray, was loosely noted at
the back of her neck
Ye break the tinth commandment
livery time ye go by" she said pleasantly
" an this time want we to have flowers.
Come in an help yerself. Take all We
want"
thanked her, entered the garden will
ingly and gathered the buds and blossoms
us sparingly as she would let me.
Your flowers must be great delight
to you" said presently.
They're all the comfort Eve had for
ten years" replied Mrs. Mulvaney
l looked at her blankly-I, who con-
stantly bore in mind Cleopatra's words
There's not minute of our lives should pass
without some pleasure newF'
Here was a woman to whom pleasure
had been stranger for ten years
"Oh, dear Pm sorry for you" said.
Have you had an unhappy lifeY
SIf down horn M
or they'll wilt before yeget home" returned
Mrs. Mulvany, "and I'll tell We me his
thory if We like"
Of course | was anxious to hear it, and
when she had brought me a newspaper
and had sprinkled the flowers with water
we sat down on the doorsteps. A trellis
covered with grapevine sheltered us
from the sun, and through it filagree of
light and shade iuttered over my white
dress.
"There's two things been agin me all
me life" said Mrs. Mulvany. impressively.
Have We niver seen dogs-they re yellow
ones mostly-wid an eye clawed out or an
ear cheweS of, an but stump av tail,
an wan leg gone, an maybe the hide
scalded off wild hot wather? livery one
has stone or a curse for the poor crayture,
an the longer il lives the more wretched
it gifts. That's how it's been wild me; for
there's two things been agin me, as l said"
Yes" said /, deeply interested. "and
what were they"
Bad luck and whisky p she answered
promptly. "Wan alone is bad enough,
but when you have to fight the two ye
might as well give it up. Not that /
drink whisky meeself. No; say nothin'
sgin beer, an l don't think pint av it
after hard days washin' will hurt any
woman; but Pve let whisky alone. It's
me men folks whisky's played the mischief
wild first me father, then Larry, an now
Mickey. 1t always seemed as if the only
reason they liver got out av bed sober was
so they cud go to bed drunk"
"How dreadfulP' | murmured.
Me father" said Mrs. Mulvany, with
emphasis, was the divil and all y She
paused to let this startling statement have
due weight, then resumed: ave lived
near Lewiston-ye know the place."
knew it well-a lovely village by the
broad Niagara river.
had three younger sisters, an whin
We were childer," continued Mrs. Mulyany,
there was niver enough to eat nor to wear
In our house; We had nothing in plenty
except blows an hard words. An about
wanst livery six weeks the year round the
ould sinner, me father, would turn us out,
mither an all, to spind the night in rain
or snow, frost or thaw, jist as it CHANGED.
We used to snuggle up agin the pigs to
kape from feezin'. I've had 4 tinderness
for pigs liver since there's couple av thin
now in the back yard"
Their presence was, indeed, family per-
ceptible to the olfactory organ.
~ was Is whin the cholera broke out"
proceeded nv hostess. WAN by wan me
little sisters died, an father an l carried
thin in their little collins to the grave
yard Thin father himself came down
wild the sickness, an got so wake he cudn't
even scowl, let alone swear; it was the
first time in his married life he had liver
been sober SO long, an it was blissed
relate to me lnithcr.
AT last, wild the help iv the saints. we
pulled him through, an thin, as there
wasn't so much to be done at home amy
more, | whit out to service. | worked sew
eral years an had saved good bit O.
money, whin one day got word that me
mither was awful sick. l give up my
place an went an took care av her; an
it's me belafe to this day that she might
have got well if she'd tried to; but She
was Ist worn out by the hardness av her
life wild that brute.
"Wan night, in the midst av a terrible
rain and wind, whin was all alone wild
her, she says:
"'Kathleen, Pm dy'in', an yez must go
for yer father
"Well, I cud see by the stare av her
eyes an the black av her poor stubby
fnger-nails that she was dyin' for fact !;
but as for gittin' Inc father!
"'Mither, ye're out av yer head, We know
We are says /. Az father was here he
wouldn't let We die in pace!'
"' I name what | say said she, quite
calm. { | can't die without forgivin' him
all his diyiltry, the BLACKBOARD, an LAWN
me blessin' for him. An We may git the
praste am some av the women while ye're
out
"Well, it seemed to be cruel an hay
thenish to the last degree to lave her alone
on her death-bed; but she would have it
SO. an off started in the storm. / might
have gone through the fields but there
was shorter path, an along this ran,
over the brow of the mountain, as we called
it. with the river rolling along almost